Development of lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema

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Ginsburg was one of the early adopters of a surgical procedure to reduce diseased portions of the lung in people with emphysema. Previously, people with emphysema relied on medical therapies. Columbia University Medical Center was the only New York City-based participant in the National Emphysema Treatment Trial (NETT), which Ginsburg helped design . In 2003, NETT demonstrated that lung volume reduction surgery improves quality of life for some patients with severe emphysema. Currently, Columbia is one of 17 centers nationwide selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to perform the procedure.